Slow Horses season 5 episode 2 recap: Who targeted Roddy and why
The second episode left fans with more questions than answers as Slow Horses season 5 continuesSlow Horses season 5 amped up the action in episode 2, with a Slough House fan-favourite targeted. Here’s our recap of what happened.
Apple TV+’s acclaimed spy thriller returned to our screens this month and the release of episode 2 has given viewers a lot to delve into.
From an ordered hit on an unsuspecting Slow Horse to the return of a familiar face, and Claude Whelan’s nighttime hobby landing him in hot water. There were plenty of intriguing plot points to unpack as audiences attempt to make sense of what’s to come.
Here’s lengthy Slow Horses season 5 episode 2, as well as a round-up of all our burning questions.
***Warning: spoilers from Slow Horses season 5 episode 2 ahead***
Slow Horses season 5 episode 2 recap
The second episode of Slow Horses season 5 picked up from the end of the last episode with Roddy (Christopher Chung) returning home after a night out with ‘girlfriend’ Tara (Hiba Bennani). In the last moments of episode 1, Tara sent a text to an anonymous person confirming Roddy was home alone in his flat. Red flag, anyone?
When Roddy returned home, he became suspicious when he heard creaking. He grabbed an illuminated decorative sword off his wall (as one does) and investigated. But he only found Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) in his bedroom. Nothing creepy, though. He was there to keep watch as a precaution after Roddy was nearly run over that morning. Fellow Slow Horse Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) was also stationed outside Roddy’s apartment on lookout.
Meanwhile, Shirley’s fear over Roddy’s safety proved to be correct… Shortly afterwards, an armed and masked assassin let himself into Roddy’s flat. However, Jackson was ready for him and doused him in bleach, before Roddy pushed him out the window and onto the balcony below. Shirley then chased after the injured wannabe-assassin. She managed to catch up to him and attacked him with a needle, but he was able to hobble off and escape.
Jackson subsequently took Roddy to a decadent hotel bar, to hide him from MI5 who wanted to take Roddy in for questioning. Meanwhile, Jackson sent JK Coe (Tom Brooke) and River (Jack Lowden) to check out Tara’s address. When they arrived though, the pair where greeted with a mother and son. They assumed it was a fake address. However, Tara was watching from above, hiding behind a curtain.
Coe and River later joined Jackson and Roddy at the hotel bar where Standish (Saskia Reeves) and Shirley had also appeared.
River Cartwright and JK Coe teamed up to find Tara in Slow Horses season 5 (Credit: Apple TV+).
Episode 2 recap continued: Who wants Roddy dead?
Elsewhere, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) returned home after a long day at the Park. She was met with an unwanted visitor: Former Home Secretary Peter Judd (Samuel West). He informed Diana that the weapon used in the Abbotsfield shopping centre mass shooting was stolen from a trade show earlier that year. He gave her the information in exchange for keeping the company’s name out of the press. Of course, viewers will know that Peter is now working for an arms company.
Back to the masked assassin. He was picked up in a white van by his fellow criminals where he apologised for not killing Roddy. His colleague told him not to worry, as the incident was enough to scare MI5. The colleague then ruthlessly strangled Roddy’s assassin to death, scared his injuries could link him back to the attempted hit.
The same guy and another comrade then left the van and met with three climate activists. He handed over a device to them and gave them instructions: “Put this in the tanker, then hide out and watch the news tomorrow.” We next saw the climate activists break into a power plant with the device. As for the two men, they headed back to the van and set fire to the dead assassin’s body.
The next morning, MI5’s first chair Claude (James Callis) was enjoying a morning run. He was approached by a journalist who asked for a comment about quashing a police caution for cab-crawling while away for work in Copenhagen. Claude ran away from journalist Dodie Gimball, who also happened to be the wife of politician Dennis Gimball. She told him she was going to print the accusation in her newspaper column and asked the man to get Claude’s number.
Kristin Scott Thomas and Gary Oldman in Slow Horses season 5 (Credit: Apple TV+).
How did Slow Horses season 5 episode 2 end?
The Slow Horses decamped from the fancy hotel and headed back to Slough House where they awaited the dogs to arrive and capture Roddy. Diana arrived and scolded Jackson for not reporting the hit on Roddy as dictates MI5 protocol. She also had news: “The bullets we found at Ho’s flat came from the same gun used to execute the Abbotsfield shooter.”
Diana added that Slough House was in lockdown (no phone, no internet) for the foreseeable while they took Roddy into the Park for questioning.
The episode ended with one of the climate activists on a bus. He uploaded a photo of himself on social media with the caption: “Petrol kills. Kill petrol.”
Questions we have after watching Slow Horses season 5 episode 2
1. Who are the assassins after Roddy?
Slow Horses season 5 episode 2 introduced us to the villains of the series, but many questions remain.
We know that the Abbottsfield shopping centre mass shooting is linked to the same people who are after Roddy. In episode one, Roddy was nearly hit by a white van. This was the same white van that acted as the getaway car for the assassin who took out the Abbottsfield shooter.
It seems that the Abbottsfield shooter was acting alone but was supplied with the gun for the attack by a mysterious third party. According to top dog Emma Blyte, the shooter and the supplier met on an online incel chatroom on the dark web. However, following the attack, the profile of the the third party was wiped.
Tying this back to Roddy now. Diana confirmed that the bullets fired at Roddy during the late night hit were the same bullets used to kill the Abbottsfield shooter. Roddy’s assassin also escaped in the same white van from the Abbotsfield attack.
As for who these assassins are, details are limited. In the van, we met three other men. They were communicating in Arabic and the one that killed Roddy’s assassin referred to him as a “soldier”. But is this a military soldier or a title for a fellow comrade?
Two of the men from the group also supplied climate activists with a tanker with the intention of doing harm. Are they merely a weapons dealer for terrorists or is there more to their mission?
2. Why is Roddy being targeted?
This group have gone out of their way to attack Roddy. First, trying to wipe him out in an attempted hit and run. Secondly, hiring ‘Tara’ as a fake girlfriend to keep tabs on him and co-ordinate the hit at home. But why?
When the assassin fails to take Roddy out at home he apologises to his colleagues in the van. But they’re not too angry. “I told you, all we need is for MI5 to look into him,” they said. “And you played your part. After Abbotsfield, we hit them again. Bigger than last time. We need them to be confused and scared.”
So the villains’ real target is MI5, getting their attention by harming Roddy. But there is something they want the Park to look into about Roddy. What has Slough House’s egotistical tech genius done?
3. Why is Dodie Gimball targeting Claude Whelan?
We saw First Chair Claude Whelan confronted over his nighttime habits in Slow Horses season 5 episode 2. This is not exactly new information though. His former secretary Moira Tregorian (Joanna Scanlan) brought it to his attention after learning it was the reason she was demoted to Slough House. In the season 4 finale, she used it to negotiate her old job back.
Dodie Gimball is the wife and “campaign manager” of London mayoral candidate Dennis Gimball. She also happens to be an influential journalist. We meet her during the first episode of season 5, when Claude tells Dennis and his opponent Zahar Jeffrey (Nick Mohammed) to step up security in the wake of the Abbotsfield attack. Claude only discloses this information after banishing Dodie from the room on account of her being a member of the press.
Is Dodie getting back at Claude for this incident, publicly punishing him by reporting on his curb-crawling? Or is there more to the story? (Our money is on the latter.)
When are new episodes of Slow Horses released?
New episodes of Slow Horses season 5 drop every Wednesday from 8am BST/12am PST on Apple TV+. Episodes 1 and 2 are available to stream now, with episode 3 dropping next week.
Slow Horses season 5 is made up of 6 episodes in total, with the finale airing on Wednesday 29 October.
Read More: Slow Horses season 5: Who was John Usher? Apple TV+ honours him in end-of-credits tribute
